UAE schools brace for Monday traffic as police plan to send out extra patrol units

The first day back at school for many pupils coincides with Accident Free Day to encourage safer driving

Pupils return to school on the first day after the summer vacation at the Dwight School in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

More than a million pupils are set to return to schools on Monday, prompting the annual effort to ensure safety on the roads.

Head teachers have put traffic plans in place, urging families to arrive early at schools to avoid congestion, while police send out extra patrols as part of their yearly Accident-Free Day initiative.

The scheme aims to reduce collisions and injuries on the road by offering drivers the chance to wipe four black points from their licences on the day most pupils head back to campus for their first day of the new term.

Staggered return

To combat congestion, schools have staggered days of return for pupils and sent additional staff to help ease traffic on Monday.

Lt Col Nasser Abdullah Al Saadi, director of the security media department in Abu Dhabi Police, said the force is ready to secure the roads.

“We are all set for the new academic year. The plan will include increased police patrols on the roads and ensure smooth traffic by giving priority to school buses,” Mr Al Saadi said.

“Drivers should reduce vehicles’ speed near schools and leave safe distances behind school buses. Parents should drop their children in designated areas in front of the schools."

Last year's back-to-school safety drive was hailed as a major success after no incidents were recorded around the emirate's schools.

Increased school staffing

Gems Dubai American Academy will stagger the return of 700 pupils on Monday, while all 3,400 pupils will have returned by Tuesday.

The school is located near Hessa Street, known for its heavy traffic.

"We will have additional staff, not only for the first couple of days, but for the first couple of weeks," said Ethan Hildreth, superintendent at the school.

"We have also have improved the internal flow of traffic by adding two internal roads that will manage the traffic.

"One road is a new loop that services family access to our new middle school block. We added an internal road that will enable parents to loop right up to the building to drop off children."

He said a significant number of pupils would also be riding on busses.

"We have a higher ridership on the busses than we have ever had before, and that's a convenient way for pupils to reach school."

Mr Hildreth advised parents to leave early as it could take a little time for the traffic patterns to be established after summer holidays.

Extra resources

Lisa Johnson, principal at American Academy for Girls in Dubai, said the school had taken extra steps to help parents navigate first-day traffic.

“We’ve provided maps indicating where road construction is occurring and adjusted our start time by 15 minutes earlier,” said Ms Johnson.

“We’ve moved homeroom to time block one to ensure that if parents are delayed, students won’t miss core academic classes.

“With extra staff on hand to guide vehicles and support the drop-off process, we’re committed to making the first day a positive experience for everyone.”

As parents return from holidays with their children, Neal Dilk, principal at Bateen World Academy, stressed the need to get back into an efficient routine quickly.

“It can sometimes be a little bit difficult for people to come out of holiday mode, so we are reminding parents to plan for a little bit of extra time when coming to school for the first couple of weeks, while families settle back into their school-commuting routines,” said Mr Dilk.

School bus safety

Emirates Transport, a provider of school transport in the UAE, announced that they had inspected over 7,600 buses and trained more than 18,000 bus drivers and supervisors on safety procedures ahead of the new school year.

Drivers also had trial runs before the first school day to ensure they were familiar with the routes.

Aamer Juma Al Shahi, operations director at Emirates Transport said: "To ease traffic, particularly for parents dropping off their children after the summer vacation, we have implemented several measures.

"These include optimising bus routes to improve efficiency and coordinating closely with parents to ensure their children are ready and waiting at the pick-up location at least five minutes prior to the scheduled time.

"To further reduce traffic congestion, we recommend parents consider carpooling options or utilising our bus services. These initiatives are designed to streamline the drop-off process and alleviate traffic bottlenecks.”

To meet the high demand and ensure a smooth service, Emirates Transport has hired 533 more bus drivers and 466 female bus supervisors for the new school year.

*Additional reporting by Ali Al Shouk